PUBLIC MARKS from Takwann with tag Shu-Ha-Ri

January 2011

In the process of learning in budo, we learn by forms. This entails imitating the “signposts” created by those who came before us. Another way to consider forms is as the language, the letters, words, and grammar, that ultimately open the door for the practitioner to see the world the way the predecessors did, and describe it in the same way and more.

July 2010

Like many Japanese cultural concepts, Shu-Ha-Ri packs a lot into a short phrase. Even those familiar with the concept often have trouble articulating it, as it exists in many layers. Basically, Shu-Ha-Ri is a map that lays out the potential progress of an individual involved in learning a traditional skill, whether dance, calligraphy, pottery-making, or traditional martial arts, such as iaido. Shu-Ha-Ri is progress divided into three stages. Though the stages often overlap, for convenience we will address each aspect in turn.

By Deborah Klens-Bigman, Ph.D.
"Bound flow" refers to movement which is held in check by certain parameters, for example ballet or other highly codified choreography. Since I study both martial arts and Japanese classical dance, "bound flow" has a great deal of significance for me. To the untrained eye, both iaido and Japanese classical dance forms look much more "bound," than "flowing," or you might say, more like work than self-expression.